B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth

In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict sits down with Dan O’Hara to discuss the need for art and science to not only coexist, but work together in marketing.

Nowadays, marketers have access to a wealth of data to make sense of marketing activities. However, even in B2B marketing, strictly going off the data doesn’t provide the whole picture, especially because of how hard it can be to actually track and attribute specific marketing activities. Yes, data has to justify a marketing plan, but any seasoned marketer knows that the most effective strategies combine both art and science. So how do you get that balance?

Dan O’Hara is Marketing Director at DEMICA, and he has 10+ years as a marketer. Primarily working in financial services, Dan is a results-driven marketer, which is shown through his leadership and growth of DEMICA’s marketing function. Prior to DEMICA, Dan served as Head of Marketing, UKI and Senior Marketing Manager at Refinitiv, as well as Marketing Manager at S&P Global Marketing Intelligence. He has also previously worked at the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), and CABI.

You can find Dan O’Hara on Linkedin.

You can watch full video versions of the podcast on our YouTube channel.

Ready to provoke the truth? Get in touch at alan-agency.com.

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In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict speaks to Jeroen Kuppens about how B2B marketers get caught up in online marketing theories. 

Obviously everyone in a business knows that their work has to relate to business goals, right? …Right? Well, in the social media age, it is easy to get distracted, and B2B marketers are not immune to this. While marketers know their work has to contribute to the business goals, it’s very easy to read the success stories and endless hacks and tips online and think that’s what’s best for the business. They may be useful pointers, but every business needs something different. How can marketers critically approach their practice to fit their business while appropriately incorporating new ideas from online?

Jeroen Kuppens is the CMO of Sana Commerce, and he has been with the business for 8+ years. As CMO, he has led an international team and focuses on driving the growth of the business, which is one of the most rapidly growing in the Netherlands. Prior to serving as CMO, Jeroen has also served as Global Marketing Manager and Marketing Coordinator at Sana Commerce. Prior to this, Jeroen has worked as an Ambassador, Scout, Sales, Promotion & Marketing for Tecnifibre.

You can find Jeroen Kuppens on Linkedin.

You can watch full video versions of the podcast on our YouTube channel.

Ready to provoke the truth? Get in touch at alan-agency.com.

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In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict talks to Scott Gainey about the challenges of creating a new category as a disruptive company. 

In order for a company to be an innovator in the world today, it requires significant effort into creating something truly new for the industry you’re in. In the case of many B2B companies, this effort is put into creating a whole new category within the sector by offering a solution that reshapes how people view a type of product or service. However, to be truly disruptive and change your sector is no easy task, and marketing has a distinct role to play in making that happen.

Scott Gainey is the CMO of Nile and has been a senior marketer in disruptive tech companies for over 20 years. Prior to joining Nile as CMO in 2021, Scott’s previous roles include CMO of Cherwell Software, CMO of Sentinel One, VP of Product Marketing at Palo Alto Networks, and Senior Director of Product Marketing, Security at Cisco Systems. He has also held senior marketing positions at Xsigo Systems, NetApp, Veritas Technologies LLC, and more.

You can find Scott Gainey on Linkedin.

You can watch full video versions of the podcast on our YouTube channel.

Ready to provoke the truth? Get in touch at alan-agency.com.

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In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict speaks to Pavlina Louki about the unique challenges of scaling a marketing function at pace. 

There are several considerations when it comes to scaling a marketing function. The biggest of these is most likely bringing in exceptional talent that will help build the business. But when the business scales much more rapidly than average, everything changes. How can marketing leaders in such positions prioritise effectively in order to create and build the best marketing function possible? What are the unique risks of rapid escalation?

Pavlina Louki is the VP Marketing at Qualco, and she has 15+ years of experience. Prior to marketing, she worked as a programmer, but as a marketer, she enables tech businesses to bolster their international positioning. Prior to joining Qualco Group in early 2022, she has also served as Head of Marketing for QUALCO, Senior Marketing Manager for SAS, and more. She has also previously co-founded WEBEASY Digital Marketing Agency.

You can find Pavlina Louki on Linkedin.

You can watch full video versions of the podcast on our YouTube channel.

Ready to provoke the truth? Get in touch at alan-agency.com.

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In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict sits down with Uwe Hook to discuss the often overlooked issues around AI.

It’s impossible to deny that AI has become one of the most hot-button topics in the world of business this year. There’s so much talk around how AI is going to change how people work across a variety of sectors. But concerningly,  the conversation hasn't spent enough time focusing on the implications of AI on people’s jobs. It’s important to not let people fall to the wayside with every new innovation, and as marketers, it’s important to understand how things will change, and what measures need to be taken to not let people struggle.

Uwe Hook is an Interim CMO/CDO with Chameleon Collective, and in this position, he has successfully served in a number of senior marketing positions to help accelerate growing businesses. Positions he has held while part of the Chameleon Collective include CMO of Origina, and Interim CMO of WorldRemit. Prior to this, Uwe served as Interim CMO/CDO for CO-OP Financial Services and CEO/Co-Founder of Bateshook. He has also held senior marketing roles at OMD Worldwide, Direct Partners, Genex, and more.

You can find Uwe Hook on Linkedin.

You can watch full video versions of the podcast on our YouTube channel.

Ready to provoke the truth? Get in touch at alan-agency.com.

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In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict talks to David Remaud about how AI will affect the future of MarTech.

It’s no secret that AI is one of, if not the most talked about topic in business spaces. There is a lot to discuss regarding AI because it has the potential to totally change how we view marketing and how we work. But, while everyone tries to get their two cents on the matter, are we actually considering in what ways AI will be useful to us? What are the actual implications of incorporating AI into how marketers work?

David Remaud is an established senior marketer with 20+ years of experience. As a marketer, he strives to create and manage high-value businesses as well as develop people and teams around pioneering projects. David is the CMO of iBanFirst, but prior to joining them in 2019, he has also served as CMO of Dhatim, CMO of Wildmoka, CEO and Founder of Plugnsurf, and more. He has also held several Advisory Board Member positions, most recently and currently at madamePee.

You can find David Remaud on Linkedin.

You can watch full video versions of the podcast on our YouTube channel.

Ready to provoke the truth? Get in touch at alan-agency.com.

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In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict chats to Ian Macleod about all things product proposition, and how B2B marketers can step up their product marketing.

There’s no denying that there’s some incredible products available in B2B industries. However, a great product alone will not guarantee excellent marketing, let alone reaching the right audience for the product. That’s where the ideal product proposition comes in. But creating an effective proposition that will resonate with your target audience is much easier said than done. What are the considerations for creating a bulletproof proposition?

Ian Macleod is a seasoned senior marketer and growth leader with 20+ years of experience. He has experience in both B2B and B2C businesses and specialises in start-ups, scale-ups, and more. Currently, Ian is the CMO of SALESmanago, but prior to this, he has served in many senior marketing roles, such as VP of Marketing at Linnworks, CMO of Triptease, VP of Marketing at Velocity Mobile and more. He also currently serves as an Advisor for Troupe and Outfts as well as a Mentor for Wiseup.

You can find Ian Macleod on Linkedin.

You can watch full video versions of the podcast on our YouTube channel.

Ready to provoke the truth? Get in touch at alan-agency.com.

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In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict sits down with John Huntinghouse to discuss how to build a culture of experimentation within B2B marketing.

Within B2B, it’s very easy for marketing to fall in line. The status quo has an unhealthy grip on marketers. This isn’t necessarily due to a lack of desire to shake it up, but rather a series of hurdles that make it much more difficult. However, in order to break the mould and create marketing with an impact, it’s crucial to experiment in marketing and find new, innovative ways to approach one’s work. How can B2B marketers not only encourage a culture of experimentation but also experiment effectively to get a desired answer?

John Huntinghouse is the VP of Marketing at TAB Bank, and he is an accomplished marketer with a background in digital marketing, demand generation, and more. In addition to his position at TAB Bank, John is an Adjunct Professor of Marketing at Weber State University and a Board Member for the American Red Cross. Prior to joining TAB Bank in 2019, John also worked at Epic Marketing and KSL 5 TV, and founded Huntinghouse Media. Prior to marketing, John worked as a Genetic Researcher at Intermountain Healthcare. John has been recognised as Utah Business Magazine’s 2022 Marketer of the Year and has won the  2022 Stevie Award for Marketing Campaign of the Year - Financial Products & Services.

You can find John Huntinghouse on Linkedin.

You can watch full video versions of the podcast on our YouTube channel.

Ready to provoke the truth? Get in touch at alan-agency.com.

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In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict sits down with Steffen Hedebrandt to discuss what B2B marketers really need to know about the buyer journey and data analysis.

While it may seem that B2B marketers are masters of data, the reality is that very few actually understand what’s happening at any given moment in the buyer journey. This mostly comes down to marketers not having precise tools and accurate analysis methods to get a clear picture of what’s happening. Marketers need to invest in the time and resources to quantify the full buyer journey, but what can marketers do to truly understand the process?

Steffen Hedebrandt is the CMO and Co-Founder of Dreamdata, and as a marketer, he is driven by data and specialises in maximising growth and scaling businesses. Prior to co-founding Dreamdata, Steffen held several other senior marketing roles including Head of Marketing at AIRTAME and Country Manager, Nordics at Upwork as well as roles at Elance, Ambidextrous, and more. In addition, Steffen has also worked as a Lecturer for the DJØF, in which he taught Microsoft Excel for students of Aalborg University.

You can find Steffen Hedebrandt on Linkedin.

You can watch full video versions of the podcast on our YouTube channel.

Ready to provoke the truth? Get in touch at alan-agency.com.

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In this episode of B2B Marketing: The Provocative Truth, Benedict talks to Kelly Brown about making every brand interaction count in B2B.

While the current viewpoint is that B2C and B2B are more similar than ever before, there are still distinct differences that shouldn’t be neglected. One such difference is relating to customer experience. Unlike B2C, B2B has a finite pool of potential customers, so ensuring that every touchpoint with a customer is as optimised as possible for both the customer and the business. However, it seems as though B2B often forget how important customer experience is. How can B2B marketing up its game?

Kelly Brown is a strategic marketing leader with a pragmatic, execution-oriented approach. She is currently serving as the CMO of Teckro where she has been for the last four years. Prior to joining Teckro, Kelly has held several senior marketing roles including CMO of Sidetrade and VP Marketing, Europe at Veeva Systems. Additionally she has also held several roles at EMC such as Senior Director, Worldwide Regional and Channel Marketing. Prior to marketing, Kelly held several positions as a journalist.

You can find Kelly Brown on Linkedin.

You can watch full video versions of the podcast on our YouTube channel.

Ready to provoke the truth? Get in touch at alan-agency.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.